Reading

As mentioned several times before, I try to read to Olivia every night. It was one of my resolutions last January and it’s one of the few (the only?) I’ve ever managed to keep.

The reason I made this resolution was because Olivia, at just over five years old was finally, finally willing and able to sit still and listen to an entire book in one sitting. We currently read three books each night and if I pause after the second book, she’ll ask when I’m going to start the third. I love that she’s aware of how many stories we’re reading and that she reminds me if we haven’t read the required amount.

We got to the library every single week and check out twenty-one books each week.

Last weekend the librarian who checked us out looked at our check-out history and asked if I was a homeschooler because of the enormous amount of books we check out each week.

I explained our routine and then mentioned that Olivia is one of the very few kids in this world who doesn’t like to hear the same stories over and over. She likes new adventures.

This morning, though, as I was gathering my things to leave for work, Olivia brought Tom a book we’d read the night before. She wanted to hear it again. I love that. I love that she’s getting to a stage where she wants to hear the same stories over and over. I know this is a phase that most kids hit around two or three years old but as always, Olivia is on her own schedule. And that’s okay. Today, that’s okay.

She has heard the book Pinkalicious a few times and it has yet to get old for her. In fact, when I read it to her this past Thursday, she giggled and then asked if we had any green olives. We didn’t, but we do not and she’s already eaten almost half the jar. Ahem, yeah, that’s a lot of salt for a 44 pounder.

Oh, did I mention that our visit to the doctor on Wednesday let me know that Olivia now weighs 44 pounds? That’s pretty awesome, isn’t it? I mean, that’s right there with typical six year olds. Wheee!

And this is starting to veer off on a few too many tangents…

Where was I?

Oh yes, reading and repetition. She loves hearing stories. She loves to look at the books after I’ve read them and trace the letters with her finger. She likes to tell me all the letters in the words. We’re pre-reading, is what I’m saying. And I couldn’t be prouder of my sweet, super-special snowflake.